ProgrammableWeb: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

As much as we'd like to think we're perfect, we realize that not everything you can do with ProgrammableWeb.com (the site or the organization) is intuitive. So, we've prepared this handy FAQ in the event that your question is one that's frequently asked. If after reading this, you still have questions, then feel free to contact us (see the first question below) on how to do this. If we like your question, we'll add it to this FAQ.

How Do I Contact The Editors of ProgrammableWeb?

If you have news (for example, news about a new API or API management solution), ProgrammableWeb may want to report on that news. There are never any guarantees though because our reporters and writers are inundated with pitches (please accept our apologies if we don't reply to your emails). To contact the editors of ProgrammableWeb simply send an email to editor@programambleweb.com. Once we receive your email, we will consider whether or not to cover your news. Someone will get back to you if we decide to cover your news. We may not get back to you if we decide not to cover your new. There is no need to send a second or third email. We've also prepared a handy-dandy Contact Us page that has additional information on how to reach us.

How Do I Advertise with ProgrammableWeb?

We provide a range of advertising opportunities for API providers and other technology vendors. Please visit our Advertise With Us page or contact sales@programmableweb.com and a member of our Media Solutions team will be in touch with you shortly.

How Do I Claim An API That’s Already Listed On ProgrammableWeb?

Often API profiles are published without an associated user as the owner. Profile owners have the ability to make edits to the profile to keep it up to date should the API change over time. If you should come across a profile that you feel belongs to you, please contact us at support@programmableweb.com. Please include the URL of the API profile and your ProgrammableWeb username. If you do not yet have a username you can quickly register for free here: http://www.programmableweb.com/register. Once your username has been associated with the profile you will be contacted with a confirmation email that includes a direct edit link.

What sort of mashups and applications should be listed with ProgrammableWeb?

In as much as ProgrammableWeb is "The Journal of the API economy," the sort of applications that we're most interested in listing are those that consume Internet-based APIs. These could be Web apps or mobile apps. Either type makes sense and here's why; the mashup directory on ProgrammableWeb can be used as a showcase for what can be done with APIs. Under the hood of ProgrammableWeb is a relatively sophisticated taxonomy that allows any listing in our mashup directory to be linked to one or more APIs in our API directory. This way, when someone views an API profile for a particular API, then can also see a list of apps that consume that API. What this means is that if you go to the trouble of listing your API in our directory, you should also go to the trouble of listing some apps (Web or mobile) that consume that API so as to showcase that API in action.

Conversely, if people are searching the directory of mashups and apps, for each mashup profile they view, we will also tell you what APIs that particular mashup consumes. Why is this cool? Because then, the mashups and applications become a vehicle for promoting API traction.

Why should I list an application or mashup with ProgrammableWeb?

As said in the previous answer, for API Providers, applications and mashups act as a showcase for your API. By highlighting the best applications, developers can start to get an idea of the different ways your API can be used. In the end, showing what your API is capable of is far more convincing than telling people about what it can do. For developers, listing your application or mashup with on ProgrammableWeb offers a free, easy way to promote your work to potential users and highlight your skills.

How do I add my press release to ProgrammableWeb’s announcement section?

We now have an article type called an "Announcement." Your company will be able to send its press releases to us for publication on ProgrammableWeb. There will be no charge for this and there will be clear disclosures on the press releases as to the nature of the content, how they are company-provided press releases, and how ProgrammableWeb cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information being provided. This is a new program that we are going to monitor closely. If we get overwhelmed or feel as though the privilege is getting abused by some companies, we will place restrictions on the program (for example, then number of press releases allowed per month for free). If you have a press release that you would like to contribute to ProgrammableWeb, you are encouraged to send it to editor@programmableweb.com for consideration.

How Do I contribute articles to ProgrammableWeb?

Many of the articles found on ProgrammableWeb are authored by stakeholders in the API economy many of whom are members of the ProgrammableWeb community in some way. When it comes to independently, objectively-derived content, ProgrammableWeb is always looking for talented writers to help its audience better understand all of the ins and outs of the API economy. Whether it’s a how-to article that includes source code that demonstrates a new (or old!) API consumption technique, a thought-provoking analysis of the news trends in the API economy, or great reporting of the news about the programmable Web, we’re always on the hunt for those who can help us with our mission of being the official journal of the API economy. And we pay! (even better!)

If you feel as though you’ve got what it takes to write authoritatively about the subjects that matter most to our audience, you may qualify to earn some extra dough from ProgrammableWeb’s freelance budget. To find out more about writing for us, send an email to editor@programmableweb.com. Beyond our independent and objectively-derived content, we also allow for other types of contributions including contributed posts, sponsored content, press releases and our “elsewhere on the Web” summaries:

Contributed Posts: A contributed post is where someone from your company, based on their experience and expertise, writes a thought-provoking analysis that doesn't promote your company's agenda, products, or services. It should not mention your company or products/services by name (with the exception of where it is mentioned in the author's bio). Another requirement is that the article is not posted on other Web sites including your company's own blog. These articles will disclose that they are contributed content and do not represent the opinions or reporting of the PW editorial team. For more information about contributed posts, please email editor@programmableweb.com.

Sponsored Content: Should you wish to write something similar to a contributed post without the restriction of not mentioning your company or its products and services, this option may be better. However, it would have to be a part of a sponsored content program. Sponsored content shows up in our article listings the same way our own articles and contributed posts do. The article clearly discloses that it is a part of a sponsored content program and does not represent the opinions or reporting of the PW editorial team. Though not a requirement, we strongly recommend that the content provider not feature the same content on any other Web site. For more information on ProgrammableWeb's Sponsored Content program, please email sales@programmableweb.com.

Elsewhere on the Web: ProgrammableWeb now points to articles on other Web sites that our readers might find useful. These articles can range from good how-to's on a site like StackOverflow.com to big API news stories on sites like TechCrunch to thought-provoking blogs about the API economy written by developers or employees of the companies we cover. The process notifying us about these stories will be clunky at first (email us at editor@programmableweb.com). But eventually, we hope to have an on-line form for submitting suggestions.

Tell me about ProgrammableWeb’s Approach to Frameworks, Libraries, and SDKs?

Much the same way that APIs are connected to mashups and applications under the hood of ProgrammableWeb, they are also connected to frameworks, libraries, SDKs. In addition to the APIs themselves, API providers are also know to publish frameworks, libraries, and SDKs that make it easier to consume those APIs. Sometimes, third parties will offer frameworks, libraries, or SDKs for APIs that another API provider published. In either case, not only can all of those frameworks, libraries, and SDKs be listed with ProgrammableWeb, they can also be tied to the APIs that they were developed for. This way, when someone is looking at an API in our API directory, they can also discover and frameworks, libraries, or SDKs that are available to make it easier to work with that API. Bear in mind, with some APIs, the API provider actually prefers that developers work with an SDK instead of directly with an API. Evernote is a good example of a company that does this.

How Do I Promote a Framework, Library, or SDK on ProgrammableWeb?

If you are an API provider or a third party that has published a framework, library, or SDK that would be of use to the developers and other audience members who come to ProgrammableWeb, we encourage you to list your asset(s) in our directory. To add a framework, library, or SDK, just go to http://www.programmableweb.com/add/sdk. Once there, you'll be able to add a framework, library, or SDK. Be sure to select exactly which type of asset it is from the drop down menu we've provided for distinguishing between the three asset types.

How and why does ProgrammableWeb curate off-site How-To’s and Source Code?

In the same way that API provider might want to list frameworks, libraries, and SDK that are taxonomically tied (under ProgrammableWeb's hood) to specific APIs, we offer the same exact capability for How-To articles and Source Code examples. The more you think about it, the more you can see how the API becomes a central figure in our universe. Once a developer is looking at an API, they can also discover not just any frameworks, libraries, or SDKs for working with those APIs, they can also find instructional content and sample source code to ease the learning curve. But our listings of off-site How-To's and Source Code are not limited to content that is offered by the API providers. For many of the more popular APIs, the Web is full of instructional content and sample source code from third parties. And so, when we encounter such content, we make a point of listing here on ProgrammableWeb. That said, you don't have to wait for us to do it. Any user of our site can help us to curate listings for any of our directories (APIs, Mashups, Frameworks/Libraries/SDKs, How-To's/Source Code). If you know of a How-To or Source Code example that you think should be added to our directory, go to http://www.programmableweb.com/add/how-to.

How do I maximize awareness of an API that I've added to the ProgrammableWeb directory?

ProgrammableWeb offers API providers a variety of options when it comes to generating additional awareness of their APIs (above and beyond the awareness generated by a standard entry in our directory). One option is simply to advertise on ProgrammableWeb with ad units that point to your directory entry. Another option is underwrite a ProgrammableWeb research report. For example, if your API is in the travel category, you could underwrite a ProgrammableWeb-developed custom research report that goes in-depth into the category of travel APIs, and that compares many of the offerings. Although they may be underwritten by a specific API provider or vendor, these research reports (which can run 20 pages or more as a PDF) are independently developed and there's no guarantee that the underwriter will come out on top. But, given how the underwriter has no influence over the methodology used to develop the report, the authority of these reports can help to influence the decisions made by various API stakeholders.

Premium Directory entries are another option for API providers. When an API provider choses to upgrade their listing to a premium listing, not only can they add additional promotional messaging to that listing, ProgrammableWeb can leverage several of the options it has at its disposal for driving additional traffic to that list (for example, the default abbreviated category list that's a part of our search facility). API providers also have the opportunity to buy exposure on certain API category pages. A lot of our API search traffic goes to these category pages as developers try to understand all of the APIs that might be available to them within certain categories. This option is a great option for drawing more attention to your API versus the others in a specific category.

In the physical world, ProgrammableWeb runs events and multi-vendor hackathons. For example, ProgrammableWeb is the producer of APIcon where hundreds of developers and other API stakeholders convene for several days of hackathon activity and conference sessions. Our multi-vendor hackathons are a great option for API providers looking to participate in a hackathon without having to bear the costs and headaches of running their own dedicated hackathon.

We can get creative too! If you have an idea for partnering with us in a way that can help drive exposure of your API, let us know. To find out more about using ProgrammableWeb to drive additional exposure of your API, please email sales@programmableweb.com.

How Do I Subscribe To ProgrammableWeb’s Daily Newsletter?

We have a wonderful daily newsletter called ProgrammableWeb Today. It is delivered Monday through Friday to your inbox and each day, we pack it with links to the latest news of about the API economy as well as a list of all the APIs that were added to the directory over the last 24 hours. If you are already a registered user of ProgrammableWeb but are not receiving our daily newsletter, the problem is easy to fix! While logged-in to ProgrammableWeb, click on your user ID in the top right corner of any page, then click on My Profile, and then, on the subsequent page, click on "Edit My Profile." Scroll the Edit Profile Page until you see the check box to subscribe to ProgrammableWeb's daily newsletter, check the checkbox, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the SAVE button. Be sure to check the box that indicates you've agreed to our terms of service (if it's required). Likewise, unsubscribing from our daily newsletter can be accomplished by unchecking that box (or clicking the unsubscribe link in the newsletter itself).

If you are not already registered as a user of ProgrammableWeb, then you must create an account on our systems in order to receive the newsletter. To do this, click the "Sign In/Sign Up" link at the top right corner of any page on our Web site, and you'll be presented with a signup form. One of the fields on that form is a checkbox for receiving the daily newsletter. If that checkbox is checked when you submit your registration data, you will be automatically subscribed to receive ProgrammableWeb Today.

What Does It Mean When I See A Deprecated Asset?

Our various directories contain thousands of assets (APIs, frameworks, libraries, SDKs, mashups, etc) that we've been amassing since 2005. Some of those assets are no longer active. As a courtesy to our readers who use our directories for their research, we continue to make this information available. In response to the feedback we've gotten, we now indicate on any list of assets (eg: an API directory search results page) when an asset has been deprecated. By default, our searches now exclude deprecated assets. However, most of our search forms include a checkbox that allows you to included deprecated assets in your search results.

How does ProgrammableWeb determine which APIs are the most popular?

API popularity is determined by the number of mashups and apps that are listed in our directory and the APIs they rely on. If there are a lot of apps that rely on the Google Maps API, then that will raise the popularity of Google Maps above other APIs. We realize that this is not a perfect measure since our directory does not include a list of every app out there that consumes APIs (especially with so many mobile applications now consuming APIs). It's possible that we may reconsider our methodology for determining methodology; for example, relying on traffic stats.

What happens when I track something on ProgrammableWeb?

"Tracking" is one of the most popular features on ProgrammableWeb. There are many things you can track. For example, if you track an API, we will notify you any time there is something noteworthy regarding that API. If the API's profile gets updated, we will notify you. If we have news about that API, we will notify you. If other ProgrammableWeb users track the API, we will notify you (this is one way we make possible for developers with common interests to find each other on ProgrammableWeb. You get the idea. You can also track search results. For example, let's say you invoke a specific search on ProgrammableWeb that involves a search term and some custom filters. We can track that for you in such a way that you are notified anytime the search result changes (as result to content changes in our directories or article content). This is the equivalent of a Google Alert, but it's specific to the content that we keep track of on ProgrammableWeb.

In terms of monitoring your notifications, you have three options at your disposal. The first of these is to receive the notification via a weekly email that we call the ProgrammableWeb Watchlist. When you first start to track anything on ProgrammableWeb, we automatically subscribe you to this highly customized email. You can stop the emails by editing your profile and unchecking the checkbox next to the option to receive the watchlist weekly. You can also subscribe to your own custom RSS feed that tracks all the changes. The link for this feed can be found near the top of the watchlist section of your profile page.

One very important note regarding your watchlist and your privacy; other ProgrammableWeb users can see your watch list by visiting your profile. If you want to keep your watchlist private, be sure to check the "Make My Watchlist Private" checkbox when editing your profile.

What’s trackable on ProgrammableWeb?

There are many things that you can track on ProgrammableWeb. You can track APIs, mashups and apps, frameworks, libraries, SDKs, How-Tos and Source Code examples, and search results. You can also follow other ProgrammableWeb users to see what they're tracking (much the same way you can see what your friends are doing on Facebook). If a developer you follow decides to follow a new API, you might want to follow that API too! To follow something on our site, just look for the track and follow buttons. They are sprinkled all over the site. Just be aware that in order for tracking to work, you have to be a registered user of ProgrammableWeb. When you click the a track button, you will be asked to login if you are not already logged-in.

What is the Weekly Watchlist and why would I have it mailed to me?

The Weekly Watchlist contains a summary of all of your watchlist activity for the last week. Having it mailed to you is the easiest way to keep on top of everything you're tracking on ProgrammableWeb. The Watchlist is one of ProgramamableWeb's most popular features.

What happens when I check the box on my user profile that makes my Watchlist private?

Your Watchlist will be hidden when other people visit your ProgrammableWeb profile page. Also, if other users choose to follow you, they will not receive any updates regarding your activity. .

If I choose not to receive my Watchlist alerts via email, what are the alternatives?

We've also established a custom RSS feed for every ProgrammableWeb user. You can go to your profile page and just above the Watchlist section is a link to your RSS feed.

When a page has one section for developers and another for followers, what is the difference?

Some pages have two sections; one for developers and the other for followers. For example, API profile pages have both of these sections. A developer that's associated with an API is someone who has added a mashup that consumes that API to our directory of mashups and applications. If that person has indicated that they are the developer of that mashup or app, then they are listed as a developer on the API page (the API or APIs that are assocated with that mashup or app). A follower, on the other hand, is anybody that is tracking the API. The same rule applies to other assets where both developers and followers are listed.

Why Am I Receiving ProgrammableWeb's Watchlist Each Week

The ProgrammableWeb Watchlist is a weekly mailing that goes out to any registered user of ProgrammableWeb who has clicked a track or follow button. Every time you click a track or follow button, we add that item to a custom alert queue that we maintain just for you. We use the queue to keep an eye out for changes to anything that you may have tracked or followed. Then, after a week has passed, we compile the results, stick them in an email that's customized just for you, and send it off.